Ashley Fields Sentenced to Prison

Ashley Brooke Goven Fields appeared before Winston County Circuit Judge Lee Carter today for sentencing, following her August 10th conviction for the felony murder of her six-month-old daughter.

Ms. Fields was sentenced to a prison term of 25 years. The possible range of punishment was 10 years to 99 years or life. She has 30 days in which to file a motion for a new trial and 42 days in which to file a notice of appeal. Any appeal would be to the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals.

Before sentencing, Ms. Field failed to accept any wrongdoing in the death of her child.

The following is the statement of Deputy District Attorney Neal Cook after the sentencing hearing:

“Although I asked the Court to impose a sentence of 80 years and 8 months (the remainder of Adalyn’s life expectancy), the twenty-five-year sentence given by Judge Carter does remove 25 years from the freedom of the defendant.

“No sentence to be served by the defendant can bring back the life of Adalyn Fields. However, it is my hope that today’s sentence will bear a message to all that your actions must bear consequences. It is my further hope that all parents and caregivers will stop and reflect before they respond to the crying of their child. I highly recommend that young parents check out the resources provided by the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome on its website, dontshake.org.

“I again thank all of those who were involved in the investigation and prosecution of this case. Your efforts will never be forgotten, nor will the memory of Adalyn Marie Fields.”